Increased blood levels of vitamin D may reduce the risk of colorectal cancer by as much as 40 per cent, says a study that included people from 10 European countries. The study, although not the first to show the effects of Vitamin D in lowering the risk of colon cancer is said to be the largest of its kind to date and adds to the science supporting the apparent health benefits from increased vitamin D. A meta-analysis of then existing studies published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine in 2007 reported that higher blood levels of vitamin D were associated with a lower risk of colon cancer.

     Massachusetts Institute of Technology Cecil H. Green Distinguished Professor of Brain and Cognitive Sciences Richard Wurtman, MD and his colleagues report that a combination of the B vitamin Choline, the fish oil omega-3 fatty acid DHA and the amino acid Uridine, all of which are present in breast milk, improves the memory of men and women with early Alzheimer’s disease. Dr Wurtman believes that the nutrients work by stimulating the growth of connections between (neuron) brain cells that are reduced in Alzheimer’s disease.

    A meta-analysis of existing studies published by the Cochrane Library of reviews this month concluded that vitamin D supplementation is helpful in preventing falls among older nursing home patients. Falls are associated with such factors as cognitive problems, muscle weakness and osteoporosis, and are a leading cause of injury, loss of independence and death among older individuals.      To evaluate interventions designed to reduce falls by older people in nursing care facilities and hospitals, Ian Cameron, of Sydney Medical School at the University of Sydney and associates reviewed 41 clinical trials that included a total of 25,422 participants who had an average age of 83, many of whom were women.

     Smokers who did not drink green tea at all may have a 13-fold increased risk of developing lung cancer compared with those who drank at least one cup per day, suggests a new study. Although expert advice is clearly to avoid tobacco smoke altogether, the results suggest smokers could benefit from upping their intake of green tea, according to findings presented at the AACR-IASLC Joint Conference on Molecular Origins of Lung Cancer. One in three Europeans are smokers, while the US figure is one in five.